Princeton Review’s "The Best 377 Colleges" Features University of Puget Sound

August 20, 2012

College is in Top 10 of “Most Accessible Professors” category

TACOMA, Wash. – University of Puget Sound has once again been named one of the country's best institutions for undergraduate education by The Princeton Review. The 2013 edition of the annual book The Best 377 Colleges (Random House/Princeton Review) also features Puget Sound in three “Top 20” nationwide categories: Most Accessible Professors (#9); Best College Radio Station (#9); and Most Liberal Students (#18).

Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges (and three colleges outside the United States) are profiled in the educational services company’s flagship college guide.

The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges academically or from 1 to 377 in any category. Instead it rates each school on a measure of 60 to 99 in eight categories including: quality of life, “green” campus, academics, accessible professors, interesting professors, fire safety, selectivity, and financial aid. Puget Sound rates highly overall and exceptionally (90-plus score) in the categories of academics, “green” campus, interesting professors, accessible professors, and selectivity.

In addition the book includes rankings of “Top 20” colleges in various categories. These lists are based on The Princeton Review's survey of 122,000 students attending the institutions (about 324 students per campus on average).

“We commend University of Puget Sound for its outstanding academics, which is the primary criteria for our selection of schools for the book,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's senior vice president and author of The Best 377 Colleges. “Our choices are based on institutional data we collect about schools, our visits to schools over the years, feedback we gather from students attending the schools, and the opinions of our staff and our 30-member National College Counselor Advisory Board.”

In the book’s profile of Puget Sound, students who filled in the survey questionnaire are quoted extensively, including comments such as:

“It’s small, so students have greater access to professors, and many professors are willing to work outside of class with students,” and “All are genuinely passionate about their subjects and accessible for extra help or attention,” and “they also expect a high quality of work from all the students.”

“There are a considerable amount of leadership opportunities,” and “People love being outdoors, walking down to the waterfront … taking bike rides, going to Mount Rainier.”

“Everybody here is a unique and exciting person, and we are all passionate about our diverse areas of study,” and “I haven’t ever been in a place that is more accepting of all backgrounds.”

The Best 377 Colleges goes on sale Tuesday, August 21 in hard and e-book formats. The Princeton Review ranks colleges in the eight main categories based on institutional data collected from the schools during the 2011–12 academic year and/or its student survey. It explains the basis for each ranking list in the book at www.princetonreview.com/college/college-rankings.aspx.

The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its test-prep courses, tutoring, books, and other student resources. Headquartered in Framingham, Mass., the company is not affiliated with Princeton University.